Anyone Can Do Ballet!
A couple of years ago, I held a few Twitter chats with some of the adult ballerinas I met on Twitter. I want to hold another one, and right now I just want to get a good idea of when might be a good time (once I get a general idea, I’ll hold another poll for the actual date).
I’m also running a version of this poll over on the Adult Ballerinas Facebook group (if you aren’t already a member — go join!).
If you follow Adult Ballerina Project on social media, you probably saw the new stickers we recently received in the mail:
If you’re interested in your own, you’ve got a few ways of snagging them if you’re in the US:
You can reach me at aballerinaproject@gmail.com
This week’s profile is of Emilee Ayers. Check out her blog, Everything I need to know about life, I learn in dance class, too!
When did you start doing ballet as an adult?
October of 2011 (I was 23)
Did you ever take lessons as a kid?
for two years at 6 and 7, then again at 10 and 11. But I was taught in correctly and ineffectively. (I didn’t know the names of any movement whatsoever save for an arabesque.
Why did you decide to take ballet as an adult?
Despite knowing the names of nothing, they said I could get on pointe in two years. (this studio let anyone on at a certain age. I’m glad I didn’t stay.) It had been my dream since I was a kid to dance on pointe, but my mom pulled me out of dance when I started gaining weight due to puberty and didn’t take me seriously when I wanted to go back.
Where do you take classes?
Munro Ballet Studios and I’m an apprentice with the Corpus Christi Ballet
What is your favorite part about ballet?
I absolutely love the history and tradition behind it. It blows my mind to know that so many people have done the same thing I’m doing and learned the same technique that i’m learning. I feel like I’m part of a special group of people that consists of people from all over the world. Ballet is a universal language. I also love how it makes me feel. I am most alive when I’m dancing.Continue Reading
This week’s profile is of Meghan. Check out her blog: Wellies and Pearls and Ballet Shoes.
When did you start doing ballet as an adult?
I returned to ballet in 2014 so I’ve only been back for a short while.
Did you ever take lessons as a kid?
I took classes for a year or so when I was 6 to 7 and then my family moved overseas so my early ballet career was short lived. I’ve always loved ballet, but it made it difficult to stick to anything as a military brat. Thankfully, I discovered musical theater when I was about 11-years-old so I had plenty of opportunities while growing up to sing and dance and ham it up! Later, I took ballet in college which was a great experience, and also after graduation when I was an intern working in D.C. … then I took a decade-long break!
Why did you decide to take ballet as an adult?
The short answer is that I love ballet and found I really missed it! It was something I always said I would come back to when I had a good work and life balance so that I could fully commit.
Where do you take classes?
I take classes in the adult program at the School of the Richmond Ballet and feel so fortunate to be able to dance there. I especially love that that the SRB has such a wonderful program geared at adults. I also take classes at a small studio near my work a couple of times a week.
What is your favorite part about ballet?
I love the whole ballet environment – the structure, the discipline, the combination of athleticism and artistry required, and especially, I love the challenge.Continue Reading
We now have a total of 60 studio listings on the website, which is fantastic. I’ve finally caught up with adding all the studios I had backlogged from submissions from awhile back. Now that I’ve finally gotten that done, I’m looking for more studio submissions! You can submit the studio you take classes at, the studio you own as well as reviews for studios.
This time around, I’m looking for a little bit more information on your part to help make the submissions even better and more accurate (as well as make my life a bit easier and get the submissions up even faster!) If you want submit a review and there’s no listing yet, please create a submission for that, too!
You can use this form to submit a studio for a listing (which anyone can do!):
You can use this form to submit reviews:
